OOT!

Not the three little letters we are really looking forward to, but I'll take 'em!  Today we were Out of Translation!  This means that our dossier is moving along the line towards that much anticipated LOA! 

Please continue to pray for quick processing and God's provision.  Blessings!

Black Friday Deals!

Crack of dawn early...wicked cold...millions of people...long lines...sold out products....all for the profit of large corporations that sometimes use my money for things I do not agree with!  

So this year I am shopping a little differently!  We are choosing to give our money to a cause near and dear to my heart this year...yep, you guessed it...adoption.

Below are some people and businesses that I will be supporting with my purchases, and I invite you to do the same.  There are some pretty neat things available.  Please check them out!

Handmade hairbows, flower clips, and other accessories that are sure to DELIGHT! 

www.ladybug-delights.blogspot.com

Aprons, kids' clothes, purses, bags, scarves http://www.scarletthreads.org/wired-hearts.html

Thirty-One www.mythirtyone.com/35081 

 

Scentsy https://blessedx7.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home

 

Handcrafted jewelry by a fellow adopting mom http://www.designedforhope.com/

 

Jubilee's Jewels  http://jubileesjewels.com/grace-john-14-18-bracelet

The funds raised from the links below will go directly to bringing home our son, Mycah!  And you can also just click on the buttons on the side bar.....on your right!

Restaurants.com gift cards - Get a $50 gift certificate for $20! 

http://coupaide.com/deal/saylor-adoption-fundraiser/

Adoption Bug T-shirts   http://www.adoptionbug.com/saylorpartyofsix/

Olive Tree Promise - something for everyone! http://saylorpartyofsix.olivetreepromise.com/

And of course...if you are shopping on-line at Amazon, please go through our link!  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/holidaytoylist?&tag=sayparofsix-20&camp=212705&creative=403941&linkCode=ur1&adid=01REA906HMW11WX8784K&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fsaylorpartyofsix.blogspot.com%2F

So shop in your PJ's this year, and save your time and gas money!  When you are done shopping, share this blog post with people you know by using the share buttons on the side and know you will be helping bring kids home into their forever families!  

Adoption friends...feel free to add your fundraisers in the comments, or message me and I will add them.  There were some blog posts I couldn't find when I wrote this! 

Happy Shopping to All!!!

L-I-D

We finally have a Log-in Date with the CCCWA (China)!  Not only that, but we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were logged-in on November 1, 2012.  That means we are already 18 days in to an approximately 55 day wait for LOA (Letter of Acceptance).  Those are the next 3 little letters we are waiting for that will mean China has officially approved us to adopt Mycah!  We still have not heard about our request for a medical expedite.  That could significantly cut our LOA wait.  

Many of you know that my dear friend, Cindy, is in China right now to pick up her 2 beautiful kiddos.  It has been quite the roller coaster of emotions to watch them walk this part of their journey.  If you haven't seen her blog, you can click HERE to read their story.  Please keep them in your prayers as they will start their long trip home on Wednesday and will not arrive until late on Thanksgiving Day.  

Knowing that she is only about an hour away from Mycah is kind of weird to think about.  She did find out that his orphanage is a smaller one and mostly deals with domestic adoptions.  I am hoping this means that the caregiver to child ratio is relatively small.  It is also a Half the Sky orphanage.  They do an INCREDIBLE work in many SWI's throughout China.  I am hoping that Mycah has been able to participate in their program. We have had conflicting reports as to whether or not he attends "school."  I guess we will find out for sure in a few months!

Speaking of his SWI, we received an update this week as I mentioned in my last post.  They sent us some new pictures and measurements as well as some more information about his likes and his personality.  

• He has become more outgoing and active.
• He greets the orphanage staff politely.
• He can say his name, age and gender.
• He can write simple numbers.
• He can "sing and dance at the same time."  That made me smile!
• He can also "draw and sing."  Apparently he likes to sing??
• He likes to play Red Light, Green Light.
• He likes to play with his own socks??  Alrighty then!
• He likes to "play balls, sands, and play with water."
• He likes to be held by people he is familiar with. (This is a really good thing!)
• He can feed himself.
• He helps put away the chairs when they are done eating.
• He can say many sentences (Cantonese) such as "I want to go play on the playground" and "I must pay attention in class" and "I must listen to mom."  Ummm...I am thinking he may have a lot in common with a certain cute 8 year old that I know very well??
• He has had no major illnesses or hospitalizations recently except for catching a cold once.

But let me tell you, there is NOTHING an adoptive parent loves to see in their email inbox more than an email titled "More pics."  And here they are!

Mycah would be the one giving the photographer the "stink eye"for taking pics while he is getting dressed!

Making his bed with a friend.  Although I wish my big kids would do this more willingly, it does make me a little sad to see my 4 year old having to do it?

Art time

Stick a leaf on the wall time??  That's all I've got for this one!

Fly your trash bag kite time!  He looks like he is loving it.  This is actually the biggest smile we have ever seen from him!

No, this is not a little girl in his SWI...it is Mycah.  

The first thing Darrell said when he saw his clothes was "That's gotta stop!"  I can't wait to put him in shoes other than pink sandals!

Prayer Requests for this week:

1.           China finds favor and approves our expedite request
2.               Mycah stays healthy while we wait to go get him
3.               The grant application we are sending out this week gets approved SOON!
4.               We would trust in God's timing and provision for this adoption

"I will not leave you as orphans.  I will come to you."  John 14:18                  

Am I Really Thankful?

Yes, a very common theme every November.  Facebook is now full of people thanking God for their families, their friends, their jobs, their pets, their homes, their stuff.  And we are all truly blessed!!  But now this year is different for me.  At church this month we have talked about thankfulness.  How do you know you're thankful?  A thankful person...

1. is content.
2. is joyful.
3. is humble.
4. is forgiving.
5. is patient.
6. remembers.
7. is generous.
8. lives with a sense of anticipation.

Last week we talked about the first four, and I much enjoyed the discussion.  Tonight we started with #5 and pastor pretty much read my mail for the rest of the night!  Patient...really God?  Don't you know I have a child I've never met, on the other side of the world, who is in need of medical care, and I have heard NOTHING about our progress in 3 WEEKS?  Only the sound of crickets from China, I tell you!  And I need to be patient?  That's apparently what James 5 says.  Patient.

Then #6...Remember what the Lord has done.  When was the last time I dwelt on all the times God met me in the past, kept my family together, kept my kids healthy, and provided for us every step of the way?  Why is it so much easier to focus on the needs of the present?  Has God ever let me down before? 2 Cor 2:14

Then #7...Generous.  Lord, really??  Have you seen our paychecks go from 3 to 1?  Did you know it is more expensive to live in DC than it was California?  Have you seen what airline tickets to China cost now?  I filled 2 Christmas shoeboxes last year, so can that count for this year too?  I have my own kid in need!  It seems thankful people want to be generous, because they know they are merely stewards of what they have been given.  And since God is the source, we are free to be doers of HIS work without the worry of "if" we will have enough to do the job.

And #8...live with a sense of anticipation.  Not fear of how this whole thing is going to work out financially?  We are talking a GOD-sized number here you know!  Not anxiety over whether my boy will stay healthy until we get him home?  He is not being treated for a life-threatening disease, remember!  Anticipation...because with God all things are possible!  Luke 18:27

So through tears as we sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness," I made a choice!  I choose to be truly THANKFUL, including patient during this LONG adoption process, because I know God is in control.  I will remember how God has kept me and my family and always provided for us, so I do not have to worry.  I will be generous, because I want to bless others as God has blessed me!  And I will live with anticipation that God will write a beautiful ending to this adoption story, so that all who hear it will say, "Great is Thy Faithfulness!"

So as I am running over all of this in my head and surfing mindlessly on the computer, up pops an email...with sweet pics of my little boy, whom I've never met, on the other side of the world!

 

And I am truly THANKFUL!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever!"  

I Chronicles 16:34

Gifts worth giving!

Check it out, folks!  Christmas is coming, and we have partnered with Olive Tree Promise in an effort to continue our fundraising.  They have something for EVERYONE on there.  Whether you want clothing, jewelry, hair accessories, art, or the opportunity to send donated items to ministries in need, this site has it.  It even has the super cool "Superman was adopted" t-shirt especially for my BFF!  She is adopting Superman, by the way, and you can read more about him here and his new sidekick, LadyBug! 

Pure cuteness, I know!  Please keep them in your prayers, as their entire little world will be rocked in only 5 short days!


But after you read about them, please stop back by our blog and click on our Olive Tree button!  A portion of every purchase goes into our adoption fund.  Spread the word and share our link!  We have a boy to bring home!!


Happy Shopping!

Orphan Sunday

This Sunday is Orphan Sunday, and all of November is National Adoption Month!  There are many resources available, both printed and digital, for you to share with your friends, family, and church!  I know that not everyone can adopt a child, but we are all instructed to care for the orphan!  This website (and others) gives you ways that you can help.

Check it out at www.orphansunday.org or click the button on the right of the blog.

Don't procrastinate, folks!  There are 147,000,000 kiddos who need someone to stand up for them!  Will you??

Click to watch the Orphan Sunday 2012 video.

Need a tax write-off??

There have been some who have asked about a way to get tax credit for their donations to our adoption fund.  And I FINALLY have an answer!  You can click here to check out our AdoptTogether profile page.  I have left the Chip In at the bottom of the blog for my iTutoring students, and if you want to still use that, you are welcome to do so.  However, if you can get a tax write-off from AdoptTogether, then why not??  It appears very user friendly, and the button on the side will remain there until our goal is met.  Sometimes it is hard not to get anxious about the need, but I also know that this is something God has called us to do and He will provide.  Whether that is through tutoring students, donations, grants or mysterious large bundles of cash left on my doorstep (not advised given my neighborhood, so please ring the doorbell if this is your plan!), I know that HE ultimately has it all in control.  Our update request for cute pics and current info should go out tomorrow, so check back soon for that post!

URGENT prayer request:  Our dossier (code for "1 ton of paperwork") should arrive in China the next day or so.  Our letter requesting that they expedite our paperwork for medical reasons is in that package.  Please pray for FAVOR and quick processing so that we can get our son home ASAP!

Signing off before Sandy takes our power again!